The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

The movie "The Mermaid" continues to be a huge hit, and various memes are circulating online.

"The part where Deng Chao called the police was hilarious, hahaha—"

"We're rigorously trained so that no matter how funny something is, we won't laugh unless we can't help it!"

The discussion about Meng Ziyi, in particular, caused quite a stir.

On Weibo, the hashtag #MengziyiMermaid# garnered over one billion views in three days.

Meng Ziyi has become a sensation!

On Weibo, her number of followers is skyrocketing at a rate of six figures per hour. Every time you refresh the page, the number jumps up and just won't stop.

"Meng Ziyi acted so well, that fierce yet cute feeling, I was completely captivated by her."

"Stephen Chow is still Stephen Chow, but Meng Ziyi is a pleasant surprise."

"I went to see 'The Mermaid' today. I originally wanted to see Stephen Chow, but I ended up becoming a fan of Meng Ziyi."

A Douban user wrote a short review that received tens of thousands of likes:

[This is a movie that made me laugh throughout. Stephen Chow's nonsensical humor is back, and Deng Chao's performance is as solid as ever. But the biggest surprise was Meng Ziyi. Her comedic timing was superb. That kind of serious-sounding nonsense reminded me of Stephen Chow in his younger days—a natural comedic talent.]

Under this short comment, someone replied: "I used to think she was just relying on her looks, but now I realize she's a real actress!"

Another person replied: "She doesn't think she has acting skills; she's purely comedic, she has comedic talent. These are two different things."

Some people also said: "Didn't you guys notice how good her crying scenes are? The way her eyes are red but she's holding back really touched me!"

A film critic published a long article on his WeChat public account titled "Meng Ziyi: Another Way to Look at Stephen Chow's Girls".

Before "The Mermaid," my impression of Meng Ziyi was: a pretty young actress with decent acting skills, and I didn't have high expectations for her.

But after watching the movie, I knew I was wrong.

The mermaid she played didn't fit the traditional concept of beauty; she was even quite disheveled, wet, and covered in mud. But it was precisely this dishevelment that made every expression of hers exceptionally moving.

What surprised me even more was her comedic talent.

Comedy is the most difficult genre to perform, especially Stephen Chow's comedies. The rhythm, expressions, pauses—every detail must be precise. But Meng Ziyi pulled it off. When acting opposite Deng Chao, she held her own completely. She brought that fierce yet innocent charm to life.

Someone asked me if she relied on her looks. I said, if she only relied on her looks, she couldn't have made the entire movie theater laugh at the same time.

After *The Mermaid*, Meng Ziyi was no longer just a "pretty vase." I don't know about other film genres, but at least she carried Stephen Chow's comedies.

Within two hours of its publication, the article had garnered over 100,000 views.

In the comments section, someone wrote: "I've always thought Mohen was good at promoting people; anyone who was pretty or handsome could become famous. But now I want to say that whether or not someone promotes her, Meng Ziyi deserves to be famous!"

Another person wrote: "I'm not a fan of hers, but I have to admit, her performance in the movie made me a fan."

Offline, the laughter continued in the movie theater.

A cinema in Chengdu, afternoon showing, IMAX theater.

When the movie reached the scene where Show Lo's character, an octopus, painfully used his own tentacles to cook, the entire audience burst into laughter. One uncle was laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh, while his wife next to him moved away in disgust, but she was actually laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

When the scene of Deng Chao reporting the crime at the police station came on, the whole audience burst into laughter again. A little boy turned to his mother and said, "Mom, the mermaid the policeman drew isn't as good as mine!" His mother laughed and tugged him back into his seat.

When the scene showed Meng Ziyi, playing a mermaid, lying under the bed and attacking Deng Chao several times with a bone knife, Deng Chao, who was dancing alone in the bedroom, dodged all the attacks with his sly and quirky movements, causing another burst of laughter from the audience.

The jokes are as frequent as a machine gun, one after another, with almost no dull moments.

But there are also moments that leave one speechless.

During the latter half of the movie, in the scene where the mermaid is being chased, the entire audience fell silent.

Can't laugh anymore.

Meng Ziyi plays a mermaid who hides behind a reef, covered in wounds, her eyes filled with fear. But she doesn't cry; she just grits her teeth and stares intently at those who killed her people.

Someone in the theater sighed.

"Ugh."

However, when Liu Xuan, played by Deng Chao, descended from the sky in a flying machine and stood in front of the mermaid, the whole audience laughed again.

They actually felt a sense of relief.

A young girl posted a message on Weibo after the event:

[The Mermaid made me laugh for two hours, but in the end, it almost made me cry. I was moved. Stephen Chow is still the same Stephen Chow; he can make you cry while you're laughing. Indeed! No matter how dirty this world is, it still needs to retain some clean things.]

As Meng Ziyi sat in the car traveling between venues for her roadshow, she scrolled through these comments, reading them one by one, the smile on her lips never fading.

The assistant, sitting next to him, couldn't help but lean over and glance at the screen.

"Sister Meng, what are you looking at? Why are you laughing so happily?"

"It's nothing."

Meng Ziyi locked the screen, placed the phone face down on her lap, leaned back in her seat, and watched the city lights rushing past the car window.

"It just feels so good to be recognized!"

The assistant looked at her and noticed that her eyes were a little red, but she wasn't crying.

"Sister Meng, are you going to cry?"

"No." Meng Ziyi sniffed and glared at her assistant. "At this time, you should pretend you didn't see it."

"But I saw it..."

"Then just pretend I was exposed to the air conditioning."

The assistant suppressed a laugh, said nothing more, and handed over a tissue.

Meng Ziyi took it, but instead of wiping her eyes, she held it tightly in her hand.

She remembered what Shen Mo had told her: "You will become famous."

At that time, she thought he was comforting her.

She also knew that Shen Mo would definitely be willing to continue spending resources to make movies for her.

But with so many people in the entertainment industry, whether they become famous or not depends entirely on fate.

Even Jing Tian, ​​who has starred in countless blockbusters, has consistently had her films flop.

Even if you pile up resources, if the audience doesn't buy it, then they simply don't buy it.

Therefore, she never dared to hope for it.

"Sister Meng."

The assistant spoke again, her voice a little softer than before, "Your phone is lit up again."

Meng Ziyi looked down when a notification popped up on her Weibo special follow list. She didn't have many people on her special follow list, and Shen Mo was one of them.

[You acted so well!]

Shen Mo forwarded a compilation of Meng Ziyi's highlights and left a four-word comment.

Meng Ziyi stared at those four words for a few seconds, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

She locked the screen, clutched the phone in her hand, and felt its slight warmth.

"Xiaoya."

"Um?"

"Don't you think I'm pretty amazing?"

The assistant paused for a moment, then smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents.

"Sister Meng, you're not just pretty amazing, you're incredibly amazing."

Meng Ziyi nodded in satisfaction and handed the tissue back to her assistant.

"Alright, take it back. We don't need it."

"You're not crying anymore?"

"I didn't cry. I told you it was the air conditioner that made me cry."

The assistant suppressed a laugh and took the tissues back, not exposing her.

Meng Ziyi leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and her mind raced over and over those comments.

The moment she popped her head out of the water, the guy next to me dropped his bucket of popcorn.

Meng Ziyi made me laugh for two hours, but in the end, she made me want to cry a little.

She deserves it!

These last three words lingered in her mind for a long time. She opened her eyes, picked up her phone, and opened Weibo.

On the trending topics list, #MengZiyiMermaid# is still in the top ten, and the topic has been viewed over 1.5 billion times.

She clicked on it, and the latest post read: "[I'm not a fan of Meng Ziyi, but I admit, her performance in 'The Mermaid' impressed me. Stephen Chow never makes a mistake in casting.]"

She neither forwarded nor liked the post.

"Xiaoya."

"Um?"

"Go get me a list of the entire crew, and then prepare a gift for everyone."

"Okay, Sister Meng."

"And—" she thought for a moment, "order me a bouquet of flowers to send to Stephen Chow, and write on the card, 'Thank you for letting me play a fish.'"

The assistant laughed: "Sister Meng, are you sure you want to write it this way?"

"Sure."

As the car entered the highway, the city lights outside the window gradually thinned out, replaced by the darkness of the countryside and the scattered lights of distant villages.

Meng Ziyi looked out the window and suddenly remembered something.

She picked up her phone, opened her chat with Shen Mo, sent a series of selfie emojis, and then typed a few lines of text.

[Brother Mo, I'm famous!]

After sending it, she felt it was too direct and added another sentence.

I know this is just the beginning. Don't worry, I won't get arrogant!

Shen Mo replied instantly: [Okay. The road ahead is long, take it slow.]

Meng Ziyi looked at the line of text, a slight smile playing on her lips, and replied.

[Yeah, it's me, I miss you, Mo-ge.]

Shen Mo replied instantly again: [I miss you too. No matter how long the road ahead, I'll walk it with you.]

Meng Ziyi's faint smile finally turned into a bright and radiant one, her large eyes fixed on the line of words, not moving an inch for a long time.

The roadshow took place city after city, starting with Shanghai, then Hangzhou, followed by Guangzhou, Shenzhen...

Meng Ziyi is like a tireless spinning top, rotating between various cinemas.

Some resourceful fans found out about the movie theaters in advance, and more and more fans appeared in the parking lot, at the theater entrance, and in the theater, holding up her light sticks and shouting her name.

"Meng Ziyi! I love you!"

Every show was sold out. She stood on the stage, smiling and waving to say thank you. Her voice was getting hoarse, but her smile remained bright.

Once, a girl stood up during the Q&A session, and before she could even speak, her eyes welled up with tears.

"Sister Ziyi, I've liked you since 'A Little Reunion'. I'm so proud of your performance in 'The Mermaid'. You acted so well, you must keep acting."

Meng Ziyi looked at the girl, her eyes also getting a little hot. She stepped off the stage and gave the girl a hug.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I will."

The audience erupted in applause.

The photo of the hug was taken and posted online, and it went viral again.

"Meng Ziyi is so gentle!"

"Her eyes reddened, and I cried too."

"This girl is my friend. She said that when Meng Ziyi hugged her, she smelled really nice."

"I've been a fan since 'A Little Reunion,' and Sister Meng has finally become famous! My initial investment in her was a success!"

Shen Mo sat in his office in the capital, scrolling through these messages, a faint smile always playing on his lips.

He picked up his phone and opened the chat window with Meng Ziyi.

The last message she sent was last night; it was a photo of her roadshow schedule, which was densely packed.

So tiring, but it was worth it.

Shen Mo typed a few words, then deleted them, and finally sent a message: [After the roadshow, back in the capital, I'll cook for you.]

Meng Ziyi replied instantly with three exclamation marks, followed by a voice message.

Shen Mo clicked on the caller ID, and her voice came through the receiver, filled with boundless surprise and a slightly nasal laugh.

"Brother Mo, you have to keep your word! I've never experienced your cooking before!"

Shen Mo smiled and replied with a single word: 【Okay!】

The sunlight streamed in through the window, landing on his desk, making it feel warm and cozy.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

In my mind, I pictured Meng Ziyi on screen, with her wet hair and bright, sparkling eyes.

Meng Ziyi has successfully risen to the top, becoming an actress who can make tens of millions of people cry, laugh, and go to the cinema for her.

He is proud, not because she is an artist under the Mohen label, but because she has reached this point through her own hard work.

After all, even if someone else were given this opportunity, they might not be able to seize it.

My phone vibrated; Meng Ziyi had sent me a photo.

It was taken yesterday at the cinema entrance during her promotional event. She made a peace sign at the camera, and behind her were fans holding light sticks who had followed her.

"Brother Mo, look, there are so many people behind me."

Shen Mo looked at the photo, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

Sister Meng is amazing! She'll take me with her from now on!

Meng Ziyi replied with a shy emoji.

[Brother Mo, that's not enough! I want more! I want to be even more popular!]

On February 26, in the office of Mohen in the capital, Shen Mo was looking at a report.

My phone vibrated; Meng Ziyi had sent me a message.

A screenshot of the real-time box office page of Maoyan Professional Edition.

Three billion!

Shen Mo looked at the screenshot and a smile slowly crept onto his face. He dialed Meng Ziyi's number directly, and it was answered after only one ring.

"Brother Mo, you weren't in a meeting? I was worried about bothering you."

"Did you see that?! Three billion!"

Meng Ziyi's voice burst out from the receiver, filled with uncontrollable elation.

"I saw it." Shen Mo smiled indulgently.

"Three billion! Three billion!" Meng Ziyi shouted again, "Brother Mo!!! My movie, three billion!"

"Of course I know! Congratulations, Sister Meng!"

"I've been looking forward to this day for a long time. We prepared a 3 billion yuan advertising package for you a long time ago!"

"From now on, you will be one of the strongest top stars among the new generation of actresses."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Meng Ziyi's voice suddenly became softer, with a slightly sticky nasal tone.

"Brother Mo, thank you."

Shen Mo leaned back in his chair. "What are you thanking me for? I didn't even act."

"Thank you for letting me act."

Meng Ziyi's voice was very serious, "You know, if you hadn't given me this role, Stephen Chow would never have known me, and he would never have let me play it."

Shen Mo smiled slightly, "Because you're suitable, and I believe you can act well."

"Doesn't the current outcome prove all of this?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Shen Mo could hear Meng Ziyi's breathing, which was getting heavier and heavier.

"Don't cry on such a happy day!" Shen Mo said softly.

"I didn't cry!" Meng Ziyi's voice was already trembling with tears, but she still stubbornly insisted.

"I am... happy..."

Shen Mo laughed, "This is just the beginning. Enjoy your happy troubles!"

"Brother Mo, I miss you..."

"I'll wait for you to come back."

A hint of shyness suddenly crept into Meng Ziyi's voice, "I've prepared a surprise for you next time we meet!"

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll wait."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Mo opened Weibo.

On the movie poster for "The Mermaid," which grossed 3 billion yuan, Meng Ziyi smiles confidently and brightly.

On the trending topics list, the news of "The Mermaid" grossing 3 billion yuan has dominated the charts, with almost all of the top ten topics being related to the film, and the comment section is filled with jubilation.

Some people are showing off their ticket stubs, some are watching the movie two or three times, and some are discussing the details of the film.

Meng Ziyi's Weibo followers have soared from over ten million before the movie's release to over thirty million, and they are still rising.

Meng Ziyi has really become famous!

For the next month, Meng Ziyi was completely caught in a "happy dilemma".

Invitations to endorse GG products came in like snowflakes, and her agent's phone was ringing off the hook every day, with so many WeChat messages that she couldn't keep up.

Cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, beverages, automobiles—from affordable to luxury, from domestic to international—it covers almost all categories.

"Ziyi, Lancôme wants to meet with you to discuss things."

"Ziyi, the spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles, earns eight figures a year."

"Ziyi, is it possible to schedule a cover shoot for Harper's Bazaar next month?"

Meng Ziyi sat in the dressing room, holding a cup of milk tea, staring blankly at the thick stack of invitation letters in her agent's hand.

"So many?"

"That's only a third," the agent said with a wry smile. "The rest hasn't been delivered yet."

Meng Ziyi took a sip of milk tea, leaned back in her chair, and stared at the ceiling.

"I used to think that days without work were hard to endure. Now I find that having too many work commitments is also quite difficult."

The agent laughed: "This is a happy problem for you."

"Happiness is happiness, and troubles are real troubles."

Meng Ziyi sat up straight and stretched out his hand.

"Let me take a look. I'll pick a few that I like first."

"You guys help me screen the rest, and reject the ones that aren't suitable. Don't accept everything."

The agent hesitated for a moment: "Reject? Ziyi, these are all big brands..."

"I know."

Meng Ziyi's tone was calm, but very firm.

"But Brother Mo said that not all money needs to be earned."

"If I accept some offers, it will affect my career path. I am an actor, not an internet celebrity."

The agent looked at her with a hint of admiration and respect.

"Okay, I understand."

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